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What is wild?!

What is wild? For us? For you?!

It's a potent time of year in the Northern hemisphere to be asking this question.

The end of April and beginning of May is the Celtic festival of Beltane - more widely known as May Day. It's the time when the earth's energy is potent, strong and rising. It's a time for merriment and jest. Carnivals, fires and wild dancing. For throwing off the usual shackles and playing. The earth is fecund and fertile! As are we as a part of the earth! It's a time for our animal selves to play!

I can feel the rising wild in the earth and in me as I have more energy with the brighter light and longer days. It's a great time to loosen up as spring hots up into summer!

And it's also a good time to reflect on wildness more generally. We have a pretty good sense of wild for the non-human world. What does it mean for you? For us all?

Wildness in people has gained a bad reputation over the years as being out of control. Perhaps violent and destructive. A bit scary.

But I think that type of wild is mainly a distorted and disconnected reaction to how civilised and tame we have to be most of the time. People let off steam by going ‘wild’ using drugs, alcohol or sex to escape their more mundane and perhaps unsatisfying lives.

Photo by TheDigitalArtist on Pixabay

But I find wild potent and exciting. Not necessarily scary.

 

For me wildness is aliveness. There’s truth in the perspective that we’re somewhat ‘out of control’ when we’re wild but rather than a negative I think it’s deeper than that.

Wildness is dancing with the inherent unpredictability of life. It’s laughing and delighting in some chaos and a lack of control. And the best experiences of it also include feeling grounded and connected. A sense of peace and presence in it all. Knowing the perfection of the unfolding moment while excitedly and curiously anticipating the next. What next?! What next? Surfing the juicy and delicious wave that is life!

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

It’s creative, vibrant and fun! Awake! Connected! Alive!

For me it's a flow peak state. And no doubt some also experience this on the Ibiza dance floors!

When have you experienced this?

 

What does wild look like for you?

I experience this when I paint. I work intuitively and expressively. Never really knowing what I’m going to paint but showing up anyway and seeing what happens!

And I also experience it when leading groups and coaching. In these contexts there’s a potent holding of both intention and not knowing. I stand for something in the preparation I’ve done and my love of the work and I also dance with what is and what’s emerging.

Snow wave, Debbie Warrener, 2017

So for me wildness is where the juice is! Where the life is! And I’m not in this zone all the time – though I wish I was – but I know it and I find ways to access it as often as I can.

And I cultivate my knowing of this wild alive state for me but also for you. Because my stand is that wildness from connection is what we’re longing for. And this is our point of most power and potential as leaders for change.

So I invite you to come and experience some of my wildness and wild-ish gatherings so you can more powerfully access yours. Here’s a few opportunities coming up to do that.

I’ve got my third solo exhibition – ‘Wild Bursts’ coming up in June at the Ply Gallery in Crouch End in London. You're welcome to pop along to the private view on Thursday 14th June from 7-9pm or to come by when the gallery's open (details below). Come and experience the results of my wild bursts in my studio! Come and awaken yours!

And I’ve got a number of short workshops coming up too - with more to be confirmed shortly.

A day workshop on 23rd June in Frome and an evening workshop on 12th Sep at 42 Acres in London. Come to connect with your wilder side as a changemaker!

And meanwhile enjoy surfing the Beltane wild earth energy!

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